Thailand Health Ministry has issued its first compulsory licence to make a cheaper version of Efavirenz, a life-saving medicine sold by a major international drug company, Merck & Co Inc, which holds the patent on the drug also known as Stocrin.
This is a progressive step by the Royal Thai Government to place the interests of people living with HIV in Thailand.
Under World Trade Organization rules, governments can declare a “national emergency” and issue compulsory licences, allowing others to produce a patented drug without consent from a foreign patent owner.
Merck will receive a 0.5 percent royalty on sales of the locally produced drug, the Health Ministry said in a statement.